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https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/473/8356/ABowkerD151117.2.mp3
9057f5e6582c49eede1f793d70248410
Dublin Core
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Title
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Bowker, David
D G Bowker
D Bowker
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Identifier
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Bowker, DG
Description
An account of the resource
15 Items. An oral history interview with Flight Lieutenant David Bowker (142854 Royal Air Force) and 14 propaganda leaflets. David Bowker flew operations as a pilot with 103 and 150 Squadrons.
The collection has been licenced to the IBCC Digital Archive by David Bowker and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Transcribed audio recording
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Transcription
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DB: I’m David Bowker giving this interview and, and these are my, my thoughts. When I was, when I was eighteen in 1940. I went to the recruiting office in Southsea and volunteered for air sea rescue in the RAF because we lived at Alverstoke and we watched the practice, the air force practice dropping torpedoes and they were launching, rescuing the torpedoes. Air sea rescue. But anyway the recruiting office wrote to me and said that it was all full but presumably with elder yachtsmen but I could join, I could still join the navy or the air force or the army just as I wished but I had no, I had no thought, no thought of flying at the time and so I was offered, in the RAF, general duties. Well, of course I had no idea what general duties meant but in actual fact it turned out that if you were fit you were going to fly and the disaster was I was sent to, sent to Cardington and then I had an interview at Cardington and I think he was a sergeant and he said, ‘How do you know you’re eighteen?’ And I said, ‘Well I’m eighteen.’ And he said, ‘Well you don’t look it to me.’ But anyway, I had to, I had to produce my birth certificate to prove that I was eighteen. Anyway, I ended up in the RAF general duties and was sent to, was sent to Blackpool and I found that I was streamed into wireless operator/air gunner. Well, that was the very last thing I wanted to do and so myself and another and a friend at the time we went and saw the officer in charge to ask whether we could re-muster to pilot instead of air gunner and of course we had to, we had to be tested with Morse, Morse code, eighteen words a minute, which was quite fast actually. And anyway, fortunately I passed it and we, and then we started all over again and we were sent to, sent to Stratford on Avon on a pilot’s course and from the receiving wing at Stratford on Avon it was, we were billeted in a disused old hotel which, which was completely derelict and we had to even tear up newspapers to, to use in the lavatory. I can’t, I can’t imagine how primitive it was at the time. But anyway we went from there and we had our meals in the Shakespeare Hotel. Airforce food of course. And from there we had lectures in the Shakespeare Theatre given by, given by a corporal on gas and all sorts of things and from there we, I was posted to Scarborough at the Cambridge Hotel and there again it was, it was very primitive. Still with straw palliases for our, on our beds and we kitted out with flying gear in the Grand Hotel, Scarborough and then, what happened then? I remember we went to a, to a, ah yes we went from Scarborough to Burnaston near, near in Derbyshire which, which was a small, a small aerodrome flying, flying Miles Magisters and we were billeted in, in an old house at Repton School in Repton village and again, again our beds consisted of straw palliases which was very uncomfortable. I was wondering when I was going to get a decent bed. Anyway, we learnt to fly in Miles Magisters and from there, from there we, I was posted to Shawbury flying Airspeed Oxfords and there was an entire, day flying and when we were posted to, for night flying we were, we were posted to Cranwell and in the college complete with batman and then feeding in the college and some night flying and that was very satisfactory. But I remember my first solo night flying. I remember it very well because it was pitch dark and then when I took my eyes off the, off the flying panel I felt the plane immediately started tilting to the left and when I corrected myself with the flying in looking at the instruments although I was straight and level it appeared to be flying to the right. But anyway I soon learned, soon learned to look at the flying panel but I must say I do, I do remember having quite a scary, scary time but we returned to, to, and after having the chief flying instructor’s test I remember we were given some sergeant’s stripes to sew on together with the pilot’s wings which we had to sew on ourselves of course. From there I was posted to an Operational Training Unit flying Wellingtons at Pershore and that took us to -
JB: [whisper] Stop it.
[machine pause]
DB: Ok.
JB: It’s interesting to me David that you’d just qualified as a pilot and was there not some hesitation that you, at your young age, was taking charge of a big aeroplane and a crew who might have been older than you?
DB: Yes. Well, basically they were a year or two older than me.
JB: Yes. Presumably they had to be. So how did you feel about that?
DB: Well, I didn’t have any feelings at the time because it was just how things were.
JB: Well now you’re qualified -
DB: In fact some of the older people, when it came to the exams, the meteorology etcetera, one or two of the older people, because I was younger and only recently left school they asked me as if I, as if I knew better than them.
JB: So, now you had got a crew together who were mixed nationalities?
DB: Well yes. Basically all English. The rear gunner was a New Zealander.
JB: What was your navigator then?
DB: He was an Englishman.
JB: Because on him you rely a lot presumably.
DB: Hmmn?
JB: You rely a lot on a navigator presumably.
DB: Yes one does.
JB: Just turn it off.
[pause]
MJ: Alright.
DB: In, in retrospect, thinking about it, when I was on the squadron we, we, the pilots we never had any discussion about tactics or anything. We would, before an operation we were briefed about, about where they had anti-aircraft guns and that sort of thing but as, as a pilot we never had any meetings of pilots to discuss, to personally discuss any tactics that we might have. It struck me as being very extraordinary.
MJ: What about crew decisions? Did you, was it, was there decisions between the crew, between yourself and your crew more than the hierarchy?
DB: Well I don’t, it’s extraordinary ‘cause I don’t think we did. Never had any discussion about it.
[Machine pause]
And it was just left, left to ourselves to do what we, we were very rarely told when to bomb or what height to bomb or anything. It was entirely left to us. In 1942 anyway. Maybe, it was a bit different later but it struck me that we, that the flight commander, you know, never had any, any guidance on, on what to do or anything. It really does, it does amaze me. We were just told where the target was and where the, where the flak was on the way out and that sort of thing. We could go our own direction. We hadn’t, we’d know. We weren’t told any fixed thing. We were entirely left to ourselves to get to the target. I mean, in retrospect to me it’s amazing that we had no, no guidance about this but, but on the, when I was on the squadron at 103 we converted to the original Halifaxes and we were sent to Rufforth near York where, where Leonard Cheshire was the squadron leader at the time and the original Halifaxes were absolutely death traps because if the, if the two engines failed on one side and you had to correct it with the rudder normally with an aeroplane you could correct it if the engines failed but with the original Halifaxes the rudder could lock over and there was nothing you could do about it if the thing went into a spin and, and so they were absolutely death traps and the funny thing was although I completed the course and Squadron Leader Cheshire, he demonstrated to me how the rudders locked over by instantly correcting, you know. You expected it. And when I was flying with him he demonstrated how the rudder locked over but I mean, if, if you didn’t know about it and you didn’t correct it instantly I mean, it got fixed. But very soon afterwards the original Halifaxes had an enlarged rudder, a large rudder and I think it was quite, they were quite satisfactory after that but in actual fact, funnily enough, there was myself and another youngster and when we finished the course the Squadron Leader Cheshire suggested that we would be happier if we went back on to Wellingtons and the fact, of course one was disappointed at the time and I was posted to 150 squadron but I think the whole, the whole of 103 with the Halifaxes because one time after one, after one raid I was diverted back to Elsham and when I was in the, we, I was diverted back to Elsham because Snaith where 150 squadron was was fogbound and so we and, and when I went into the mess I didn’t recognise anybody on 103 and they’d practically all, had so many fatal crashes with the, with the original Halifaxes that the squadrons were converted to, in late ‘42 the squadron converted to Lancasters instead of the Halifaxes.
JB: Coffee?
[machine pause]
MJ: It’s all yours.
JB: I was thirteen when the war began and came from a very privileged background and I do remember that my own experience of world affairs was nil. It was Children’s, Children’s radio. Uncle Mac, or some very silly, childish things and The Children’s Newspaper which now doesn’t exist and that was all I knew about what went on in the world apart from my cosy life and I remember standing in the room with my parents, listening to the radio and Chamberlain giving this dreadful speech, ‘We are now at war.’ And I do remember clearly and now, in retrospect, you actually wonder about it, saying to my parents, ‘Will it be fun? War.’ Now, I do you know it was not fun. And I went straight from there to school where we were bombed heavily because it was right beside Handley Page but nobody in the school told us that what we were hearing was mostly anti-aircraft fire. It was not bombing and we lived a life in air raid shelters frightened to bits simply because of the lack of communication of what was going on. We were not allowed to have radios or anything, in case, this was a very strict Methodist school, in case somebody found out a brother or somebody had been on a boat that had been, you know, sunk or whatever. So we had no contact with the outside world whatsoever. However, it was such that by sixteen I went up to university. London University but transferred to Leicester to study economics. Now, wartime study was different because they altered up the curriculum and I was only allowed to do two years. Well, it’s three years for a degree and I did two years and went in to some ridiculous war work in London and I can remember, we discussed the other day, David and I, what we both did on D-Day and I walked from Hammersmith to where I was living in Marble Arch through crowds of people, all jubilation, and then I could not go back to university and the reason I could not go back was because the men had all come back from the war and, quite rightly, after their war service they took all the places and women lost out because of the generation we happened to be. The luck was that we did this two years, finish. No degree. Frankly, it doesn’t actually matter in the world because people, not many people ask you whether you’ve got a degree or not so that’s really what my war was like.
[Machine pause]
MJ: Thank you David for your wife’s int, before she had to go in a hurry so we’ll carry on with what we were saying.
DB: Right. Yes, I always, in retrospect, was very thankful for, very thankful for being sent to another squadron on Wellingtons because a Wellington could take an awful lot of damage and still fly which, which, of course, happened to me on a, on a raid on Frankfurt. We were very badly damaged and after gaining control at about, at about a thousand feet we managed to, to stay, to stay airborne, to fly home and crossing the French coast at about five hundred feet I remember very well a lot of tracer bullets flying over, following me overhead. We weren’t hit because obviously it appeared that they couldn’t elevate their guns low enough to, because we were so low all the, all the bullets were going overhead but anyway, I mean, because we were halfway across the channel the um -
[Machine pause?]
MJ: It’s on.
DB: Yes. Halfway across the channel the petrol gauge read nothing and my wireless operator told base that we were going to ditch in the channel but we were persuaded to carry on to, and follow the searchlights, to follow the searchlights on to Manston aerodrome. And whether, and I was following the searchlights towards Manston when of course we ran out of petrol and crashed near Lympne and, but of course it’s, I mean it’s a long, it’s a long story but we –
[Machine pause]
MJ: [?] it’s on.
DB: The, when we, when we crashed just north of Folkestone, the second pilot, I don’t believe was strapped in ‘cause I’m not sure that the second pilot’s position had straps but anyway he was killed together with the bomb aimer who was aft who was aft by the main, main boom because the plane caught fire and the, although the second pilot got out he more or less died after getting out the, and the bomb aimer was stuck in and I believe got burnt to death. But anyway after, after this episode we were, the survivors were flown back to, to Snaith and after, after flying on one training trip I was posted to a target towing unit flying, flying Lysanders towing a target for, for, for other squadrons along the coast from Grimsby down to Skegness.
[machine pause]
MJ: It’s on.
DB: But maybe after, after being a survivor, I don’t know why, I don’t know. I can’t think of any particular reason but except that maybe when someone has had a shaky do like that perhaps, perhaps it was normal to be posted to a non-operational -
MJ: Role.
DB: Type of thing.
MJ: Mind you, I don’t think being shot at by [laughs] by trainees is a safer occupation is it?
DB: No. But er I was on the target towing unit for about six months and then was posted as an instructor to an OTU. I mean, I mean at the time one just went along with what happened. I mean, one didn’t, one, I personally didn’t have any say myself on what, on what happened. And if one got posted I didn’t argue with it. No.
MJ: Did you prefer the coastal work or the training?
DB: Hmmn?
MJ: Did you prefer the coastal work or the training work?
DB: Did I?
MJ: You did the drone bit. Did you prefer training the troops or did you prefer being the target if you see what I, ‘cause when you flew -
DB: Well one, one towed the target, it’s a sleeve. You had the operator, you know. I was the pilot but the person at the back there trailed, trailed the, the drogue on long wire. I mean, he had control over how long a wire he put it because we, I don’t know whether you know Spurn Head off the Humber but we towed the target on a very long, a very long wire for the army ‘cause we didn’t really trust the army [laughs] but anyway for the, for the anti-aircraft practice. But there, it was all, it was all quite a, quite a job because we did two or three trips a day. You know, we did work quite hard but after that I was posted to an Operational Training Unit as an instructor.
[Machine pause]
MJ: [pause] It’s on now.
JB: David, in which stage in this saga did you take on the job of testing aircraft that had been in the repair shop to see if they were good enough to fly again?
DB: That was, that was some time after I was -
JB: Shot down?
DB: It er, no, it was after and I was, I was seconded to a maintenance unit.
JB: Yes, but does that come between the target towing, the shooting down and the target towing or does it come after the target towing?
DB: After the target towing. Yes.
JB: After the target towing.
DB: Yes.
JB: So you were just handed this book of instructions for an aeroplane and said -
DB: Well it was –
JB: Take it up and see if it will go. Well obviously it did otherwise you wouldn’t still be here, would you?
DB: No. Well I was very, very, yes, with the Hurricane for instance one had to be ‘cause you couldn’t have any two -
JB: No. There was -
DB: Two.
JB: Nobody else in it.
DB: No.
JB: You couldn’t, it was a one seater.
DB: There was –
JB: But then do you, do you enter in to a thing like this with an excitement of something, that this is something new or with great fear that have they done a good enough job that this is my last moment?
DB: Oh you mean on the maintenance unit?
JB: Yes. I mean did you actually think every time you got in to a different aeroplane they wanted you to test that this is an excitement or did you think oh my God I may be dead by tomorrow?
DB: No. No [laughs] I never thought. I just thought –
JB: Eternal optimist are you?
DB: Well yes.
JB: I see. Your glass is always half full obviously. Yes I see.
DB: Well, until, until the time came when the life raft flew out.
JB: Oh yes. Yes. And this is when you were testing what? A Halifax?
DB: No. A Wellington.
JB: A Wellington. And tell me what happened.
DB: Well the, when I -
JB: The life raft inflated did you tell me?
DB: Well it feathered, you know, when I had to take, I went, took these aeroplanes on test so when I took off I had to feather the propellers and check everything worked and I remember feathering the starboard propeller. There was a tremendous bang and I didn’t know what it was.
JB: Quite unnerving.
DB: There was this huge bang and the inflatable dinghy, the rubber inflatable dinghy had flown out of its case behind the engine and wrapped itself around the tail plane and then as soon as this huge bang and I thought, ‘Christ what’s that?’
JB: Well you would.
DB: Because I lost control. The elevators were locked because this thing was, if you can imagine, the thing had collapsed and prevented the elevators from working.
JB: So how did you get the aeroplane down then?
DB: By the televator well of course it’s a long story.
JB: Well just tell me quickly ‘cause I haven’t got all night. Yes.
DB: Well the controls were rigid rods.
JB: Yes.
DB: And so of course the whole of the tail plane was skewed. The rigid rods didn’t -
JB: Yeah.
DB: Work because -
JB: So how do you correct that to get it down?
DB: Well the fin tabs.
JB: Yes.
DB: Were on a separate thing. That’s the elevator and the fin tabs is another -
JB: David this is -
DB: Another little tab.
JB: This is not visual darling.
DB: Yes.
JB: There’s no good telling me like that.
DB: No. Quite.
JB: No. Just tell me. So you’ve got the plane down by being rather clever.
DB: By using, use of the twin tabs.
JB: Is that when you got your green endorsement in the -
DB: Yes.
JB: For being clever.
DB: Yeah.
JB: And am I correct in thinking that that is when they found out what happened with a lot of the Halifaxes? Is that anything to do -
DB: No. Nothing to do with the Halifaxes. No.
JB: The Halifaxes just had a fault on them to start with.
DB: No. The Halifaxes, the original, the original -
JB: The original Halifaxes, yes, had a fault in them.
DB: The later ones had a bigger
JB: Yes.
DB: Tailfin.
JB: Yes. So it was the tailfin on the early ones that -
DB: Yes.
JB: Caused all the problems.
DB: Or lack of it.
JB: Lack of it. That everybody was killed.
DB: Yes.
JB: Now, I want to go back to when you were shot down.
DB: Yes.
JB: And you managed to get over the channel.
DB: Yes.
JB: Have we all done all this?
MJ: Yeah. We -
JB: But have you also pointed out that the young man who was killed whose name I remember because I write a cross for him every year.
DB: Yes.
JB: Have you, have you remembered to say that he had gone to the CO the day before?
DB: No. That was the bomb aimer. Young Lapping.
JB: Well, it was the bomb aimer.
DB: Yes.
JB: Young Lapping. Yes. His name was Lapping.
DB: No. I didn’t mention it.
JB: Well he’d gone to the CO the day before. This is what you told me.
DB: Yeah. This was the bomb aimer.
MJ: Yeah.
DB: Who was killed? He’d actually, the day before he’d actually been to the CO which I think he was quite a, quite a -
JB: Quite brave.
DB: Brave thing to do.
JB: A brave thing to do. Yes.
DB: To, to tell the CO that he’d had enough. He couldn’t -
JB: He’d lost his nerve. Couldn’t go any more.
DB: And the CO called me in.
JB: As the pilot.
DB: As the pilot. To tell young [Lapping] to pull himself together and then he was killed that night. So -
MJ: Yeah.
DB: But I mean he had, he had -
JB: And as a consequence you see -
DB: A brave thing to do to go to your CO -
JB: Yes. Because -
DB: To say you’d had enough.
JB: There were people weren’t there who were labelled LMF.
DB: Yes.
JB: That’s lack of moral fibre.
DB: LMF.
JB: Who just disappeared off the screen, off the section.
DB: Yes. I had a rear gunner who just didn’t -
JB: Yes. Just didn’t appear -
DB: Who didn’t, who didn’t turn up one evening.
JB: But they weren’t staying on the station.
DB: And the next, the next, by the next morning he’d gone.
JB: LMF. That was the label.
DB: Lack of moral fibre.
JB: Moral fibre.
MJ: What made them give you the job of testing the planes because I don’t know how they decided?
JB: Because, because he was a good pilot. [can’t be plainer than that can we?]
DB: Well I was -
JB: Steady. Steady chap.
DB: Seconded. Well someone, someone had to do it.
MJ: Yeah it’s just -
DB: Well, it’s after an engine change or after a crash. If any plane had been repaired.
JB: Well after this crash -
DB: Or major service.
JB: After you had got the plane back and was told to ditch in the channel. Yes? And you got it back into this wood in Kent and ended up in a tree.
DB: Yes.
JB: And they were killed. The two of them.
DB: Yes.
JB: And you were injured. What, you went off to hospital, all of you, presumably, that were still alive but now we know where the plane is, don’t we?
DB: Yes.
JB: ‘Cause we found it.
DB: Yes.
JB: We know it’s in the wood just –
DB: Yes.
JB: North of Folkestone. We know exactly where it is if we look at a map.
DB: Exactly.
JB: We went to look for it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get into the wood ‘cause it’s wired off but we could actually, we could point out where it is but -
DB: Yes.
JB: He has actually got the engine number plate. I suppose it’s a number plate.
DB: Yes.
JB: I don’t know. From, from the plane. But we know -
DB: Yes.
JB: It’s still there, what’s left of it, but of course as a Wellington is wooden it’s probably only bits of an engine there now. So when you’d done all this testing and being shot at by the army eventually they let you not fly anymore did they? Or you trained people. You were training pilots. I know that on D-Day you were doing familiarisations. That’s a difficult word.
DB: Yes.
JB: On, for pilots, training pilots and you took four flights ‘cause we looked into the question of D-Day when the celebrations came up for D-Day and you made four flights that day with different people to familiarise them with -
DB: Yes I’d forgotten. Funny you should remember.
JB: Well -
DB: I’d forgotten.
JB: I only remember because on the celebration of D-Day.
DB: Yes.
JB: I was able to tell you where I was.
DB: Yes.
JB: And you, so, I said to you, ‘Well, where were you?’ and you couldn’t remember so we looked in your logbooks which are still here.
DB: Yes.
JB: As is your, as is your uniform, your Irvin jacket.
DB: Yeah.
JB: Your goggles. Everything. Still here. Got it all.
MJ: [? to take one]
JB: It’s all stashed away in the cupboard here. I don’t think you’d be able to get in to it now though. I think the ravages of time made us all rather fatter.
MJ: Fine.
JB: You should turn it off.
MJ: Off.
[Machine pause]
JB: Now, David. My theory about the logbooks. You’ve still got three logbooks. Yes.
DB: I think it must be right. Yes.
JB: And I think my theory because I have a very nasty mind I think is that the first one is thick.
DB: Yes.
JB: And as -
DB: Yes.
JB: You get further on the logbooks get thinner. Now do you think, my theory is because they don’t expect you to last very long?
DB: No. I would say, I would think so.
JB: You think that’s the answer.
DB: Yes.
JB: So the longer you are active in the RAF during the war
DB: You got -
JB: You got a thinner logbook because there would be no point giving you a thick one if they didn’t expect you to last more than five goes would there?
DB: No.
JB: Do you think that’s true?
DB: The original one is thick.
JB: And the next two get thinner and thinner. Has anyone any theory as to why that is apart from my theory?
DB: Could be economy.
MJ: No. You’re right.
JB: I’m right. Aren’t I right about it? Yes. David, you know young Lapping, who we put a memorial cross for -
DB: Yes
JB: Every year. Am I right in thinking that after he was killed, and he must have been a very young man.
DB: Right.
JB: His father joined up in the RAF.
DB: Yes.
JB: In memory of his son and was also killed.
DB: Yes.
JB: He was killed at a later stage wasn’t he?
DB: Well -
JB: The father.
DB: What? The father was?
JB: Yes. Yes, and I know they come from Yorkshire and I keep meaning to try and get hold of some archivist in Yorkshire and look up that name and see if we can’t sort it. [whisper] Turn it off.
[Machine pause]
JB: Family, we know that
DB: Yes.
JB: And the other chap is dead as well. We know that. David, after you came out of the RAF and every time we drive past Stoney Cross you tell me that was where your last posting was.
DB: Yes.
JB: And it was handing out money to returning crews.
DB: Yes.
JB: You bought a Tiger Moth did you not?
DB: Yes.
JB: And how much did that cost?
DB: The Tiger Moth cost two hundred pounds
JB: And you kept it at Portsmouth Airport as it -
DB: Yes.
JB: Then was. And why did you want it?
DB: Why did I want it?
JB: Yes.
DB: Well, I may have just -
JB: What use did you make of it? You flew to Cowes to go sailing, yes?
DB: Yes.
JB: Because you’d always been a keen sailor.
DB: Yes.
JB: And you flew to Cowes.
DB: Yes.
JB: And you sailed against the Duke of Edinburgh.
DB: Yes.
JB: In [f for fox?].
DB: Yes.
JB: In a dragon boat that you had -
DB: Yes.
JB: Built yourself when you bought a boatyard in Bosworth building wooden boats.
DB: Yes.
JB: And eventually built a boat that went to the Olympics in 1956 where got your silver medal for sailing.
DB: Yes.
JB: Enough.
MJ: [is it?]
JB: Enough said. When you left the RAF -
DB: Yes.
JB: Was it 1946?
DB: Yes.
JB: What did they give you by way of remuneration for all your efforts for six years or whatever?
DB: A hundred and twenty pounds.
JB: A hundred and twenty pounds.
DB: Yes.
JB: Well, that was your total pay off was it?
DB: Yes.
JB: But no pension of course.
DB: No.
JB: But did you get, you got a clothing did you not?
DB: A coupon, I believe we did. I can’t honestly remember.
JB: Well you can remember because we still have the trilby hat and the raincoat here.
DB: Yes. I can’t remember about the coup -
JB: We don’t have the sports jacket anymore and I think that was all.
DB: I can’t -
JB: Did they give you any trousers? They must have given you some trousers.
DB: Yes.
JB: A pair of flannels I suppose.
DB: I expect so.
JB: Yes. But the trilby hat -
DB: Well they didn’t give you -
JB: They gave you coupons.
DB: It was in Ruislip.
JB: Yes.
DB: And we just wandered around on this, you know, and picked the clothes ourselves.
JB: Oh I see. And that was your choice?
DB: You were allowed to -
JB: You didn’t, you didn’t -
DB: To take a jacket and trousers.
JB: You didn’t think of getting a city suit then? You preferred to have a sports jacket.
DB: Yes.
JB: And a pair of flannels.
DB: Yes. Yes.
JB: And a raincoat and a trilby hat.
DB: Yes.
JB: We still have the trilby hat and the raincoat somewhere.
DB: Yes I think we -
JB: They were frequently used by some amateur dramatics who wish to -
DB: I think the raincoats gone hasn’t it?
JB: Yes.
DB: Yeah.
JB: But the trilby hat and the raincoat, I think they’re still in the workshop.
DB: Yeah.
JB: And I think you still, we still give them out for amateur dramatics. Dressing up a tramp. Since they were given to you in 1946 they’re pretty -
DB: Yeah.
JB: Pretty, only fit for that now.
DB: Yes.
JB: So a hundred and twenty pounds was the maximum. Was the total -
DB: Yes.
JB: And that was for being a flight lieutenant.
DB: But I think we got some clothing coupons.
JB: Yes, well that’s what you bought with the clothing coupons but then if you got a hundred and twenty pounds and you were by then a flight lieutenant which means -
DB: Yes.
JB: You’ve gone through five ranks.
DB: Well, where, where have my logbooks gone?
JB: It seems pretty poor pay to me but that’s all you got and no pension of course.
DB: Yes.
MJ: Right, well -
JB: Off.
MJ: Yeah. On behalf of the International Bomber Command I’d like to thank David and Jackie Bowker at their home in Southampton for their -
DB: No, it’s Emsworth. We’re in Emsworth now darling.
MJ: Yeah. On the 17th of -
DB: November.
MJ: November 2015.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with David Bowker
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Mick Jeffery
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-11-17
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ABowkerD151117
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending review
Pending revision of OH transcription
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Description
An account of the resource
David Bowker joined the Air Force and was originally training to be a wireless operator / air gunner but remustered as a pilot. He discusses rudder lock on early versions of Halifax. Jacqueline Bowker his wife, discusses her life during the war and being bombed. Returning from an operation to Frankfurt his aircraft crashed and some of his crew were killed. After this he was posted to a target towing flight and later became an instructor at an Operational Training Unit and a test pilot at at Maintenance Unit. He also discusses a time when an aircraft's dingy deployed in flight jamming his controls.
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Germany
Great Britain
England--Bedfordshire
England--Derbyshire
England--Kent
England--Lincolnshire
England--Nottinghamshire
England--Shropshire
England--Yorkshire
England--Folkestone
England--Spurn Head
Germany--Frankfurt am Main
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
00:48:45 audio recording
103 Squadron
150 Squadron
aircrew
bombing
briefing
Cheshire, Geoffrey Leonard (1917-1992)
crash
demobilisation
Halifax
Halifax Mk 1
Hurricane
lack of moral fibre
Lysander
Magister
military living conditions
military service conditions
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
pilot
RAF Cardington
RAF Elsham Wolds
RAF Pershore
RAF Rufforth
RAF Shawbury
RAF Snaith
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/345/34358/LWarmingtonI150280v10002.2.pdf
49989e368e54a7ee09cd9eaf34192f86
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Warmington, Ivon
I Warmington
Description
An account of the resource
Four items. One oral history interview with Ivon Warmington (b. 1922, 150280 Royal Air Force) and his flying log books.
The collection was catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-10-29
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Warmington, I
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Ivon Warmington’s pilots flying log book. Two
Description
An account of the resource
Pilots flying log book two, for W I Warmington, covering the period from 15 November 1943 to 31 March 1945. Detailing his flying training, Operations flown and instructor duties. He was stationed at RAF Hixon, RAF Blyton, RAF Hemswell, RAF Kirmington, RAF Peplow, RAF Lulsgate Bottom, RAF Gamston and RAF Upper Heyford. Aircraft flown were, Wellington, Halifax, Lancaster, Oxford. He completed a total of 30 operations with 166 Squadron. Part of the log book is missing listing operation 20 to 27. Targets listed were, Maintenon, Mailley, Rennes, Aachen, Calais, Wimeraux, Crisbicq, Acheres, Versailles, Le Havre, Sterkrade, Aulnoye, Mimoyecques, Saintes, Flers, Chateaux Bernapre, Oisemeont and Normandy. The log book also contains several aircraft pictures and a photo of pilots from the Operational Training Unit. His first or second pilots on operations were Pilot Officer Myers and Flight Sergeant Miller. This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943
1944
1945
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943
1944
1945
1944-06
1944-07
1944-08
1944-06-05
1944-06-06
1944-06-14
1944-06-15
1944-06-24
1944-06-25
1944-07-30
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
France
Germany
Great Britain
Atlantic Ocean--English Channel
England--Lincolnshire
England--Nottinghamshire
England--Oxfordshire
England--Shropshire
England--Somerset
England--Staffordshire
France--Flers-de-l'Orne
France--Le Havre
France--Mailly-le-Camp
France--Maintenon
France--Manche
France--Nord (Department)
France--Normandy
France--Oise
France--Oisemont (Canton)
France--Pas-de-Calais
France--Rennes
France--Saintes
France--Versailles
France--Wimereux
France--Yvelines
Germany--Aachen
Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
France--Bermesnil
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LWarmingtonI150280v10002
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
128 Squadron
16 OTU
166 Squadron
1662 HCU
30 OTU
83 OTU
Advanced Flying Unit
aircrew
bombing
Bombing of Mailly-le-Camp (3/4 May 1944)
bombing of the Le Havre E-boat pens (14/15 June 1944)
bombing of the Normandy coastal batteries (5/6 June 1944)
bombing of the Pas de Calais V-1 sites (24/25 June 1944)
Flying Training School
Halifax
Heavy Conversion Unit
Initial Training Wing
Lancaster
Lancaster Finishing School
Lancaster Mk 1
Lancaster Mk 3
Me 410
Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944)
nose art
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
pilot
RAF Blyton
RAF Gamston
RAF Hemswell
RAF Hixon
RAF Kirmington
RAF Paignton
RAF Peplow
RAF Upper Heyford
tactical support for Normandy troops
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1566/27695/PArthurEG1616.2.jpg
7de3291e2f3f33ba3b930a737fe3cf44
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Arthur, Eric Garnet
E G Arthur
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-12-01
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Arthur, EG
Description
An account of the resource
33 items. The collection concerns Eric Arthur (1923 - 2019, 431155 Royal Australian Air Force) and contains his diary, an audio recording, a newspaper cutting, and 30 photographs. He flew operations as a navigator on 627 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Eric Arthur and Alan Arthur. It was catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Wing Commander Cheshire's Mosquito
Description
An account of the resource
On ground, showing close up of right hand side of nose, the four machine guns, open cabin door and ladder in place. Wing Commander Cheshire's Mosquito.
Additional information about this item has been kindly provided by the donor.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PArthurEG1616
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
617 Squadron
Cheshire, Geoffrey Leonard (1917-1992)
Mosquito
RAF Woodhall Spa
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/496/19656/MCookeWH2220169-150902-06.2.jpg
52b4e499f573f92eb038ae61c98d0362
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cooke, William
William H Cooke
W H Cooke
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Cooke, WH
Description
An account of the resource
15 items. An oral history interview with William Cooke (2220169 Royal Air Force), log book and other service material, medals, photographs and memorabilia. He flew operations with 49 Squadron as an air gunner.
The collection has been licenced to the IBCC Digital Archive by and catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
A DAY AT EAST KIRKBY
IS THIS REALLY JUST A JOY RIDE,
JUST A LITTLE BIT OF FUN.
WILL I NOT NEED STOWING MY PARACHUTE
OR NEED TO CHECK EACH GUN.
WILL IT ONLY BE A SHORT RUN
JUST A TAXI DOWN THE STRIP.
NOT EIGHT LONG HOURS OF SEARCHING
IN STRESS AND TENSIONS GRIP.
JUST A RUN AROUND THE AIRFIELD
WHEELS FIRMLY ON THE GROUND.
NOT THINKING “WILL WE DITCH TONIGHT”
AND MAYBE ALL BE DROWNED.
THANKFULLY THAT’S OVER NOW
I SLEEP PEACEFULLY IN MY BED,
REMEMBERING OFT TIMES ABOUT
MY MATES OF OLD NOW DEAD.
SO IF YOU SEE ME IN THE STREET
JUST NOD AND SAY “GOOD DAY”,
AND THANK THE LORD IT’S OVER
NO MORE AIRCREW NEED TO PAY
BILL COOKE – (MID UPPER GUNNER)
LANCASTERS 49 SQUADRON RAF 1943-45
PRIOR TO VISIT ON WEDNESDAY 11 JULY 2012
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
'A Day at East Kirkby'
Description
An account of the resource
Poem by Bill Cooke prior to a visit to East Kirkby - contrasting the stress of operational flying on Lancasters to the forthcoming aircraft taxi ride.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Bill Cooke
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2012-07
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One printed sheet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Poetry
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MCookeWH2220169-150902-06
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
2012-07-11
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Steve Baldwin
49 Squadron
air gunner
aircrew
arts and crafts
Lancaster
RAF East Kirkby
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1881/36352/SChristianAL29160v10121-0003.2.jpg
968f705d28f88dc6a6e07c8198e0f849
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Christian, Arnold Louis
A L Christian
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-06-26
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Christian, AL
Description
An account of the resource
93 items. The collection concerns Wing Commander <span>Arnold Louis</span> <span>Christian </span>(1906 - 1941, 29160 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents and photographs. He flew operation as a pilot with 105 Squadron and was killed 8 May 1941.<br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Steven Christian and catalogued by Barry Hunter.<br /><br />Additional information on <span>Arnold Louis</span> <span>Christian</span> is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/204958/">IBCC Losses Database.</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
'A' Flight RAF Grantham
Description
An account of the resource
Three photographs captioned A Flight Hawker Tomtits. Arnold is in the third photograph. One aircraft is J-9781.
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
England--Grantham
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Three b/w photographs on an album page
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SChristianAL29160v10121-0003
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
RAF Grantham
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1881/36353/SChristianAL29160v10121-0004.2.jpg
e591d35e5e7b46cbea99fd3e02c4d311
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Christian, Arnold Louis
A L Christian
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-06-26
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Christian, AL
Description
An account of the resource
93 items. The collection concerns Wing Commander <span>Arnold Louis</span> <span>Christian </span>(1906 - 1941, 29160 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents and photographs. He flew operation as a pilot with 105 Squadron and was killed 8 May 1941.<br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Steven Christian and catalogued by Barry Hunter.<br /><br />Additional information on <span>Arnold Louis</span> <span>Christian</span> is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/204958/">IBCC Losses Database.</a>
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
'C' Flight RAF Grantham
Description
An account of the resource
Three photographs of Armstrong Whitworth Siskins.
#1 and 3 are port side views. One aircraft is J-8869.
#2 is a front view.
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
England--Grantham
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Three b/w photographs on an album page
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SChristianAL29160v10121-0004
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
RAF Grantham
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1881/36354/SChristianAL29160v10121-0005.2.jpg
31c3ef6a38dcb56c3681161659aca87d
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Christian, Arnold Louis
A L Christian
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-06-26
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Christian, AL
Description
An account of the resource
93 items. The collection concerns Wing Commander <span>Arnold Louis</span> <span>Christian </span>(1906 - 1941, 29160 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents and photographs. He flew operation as a pilot with 105 Squadron and was killed 8 May 1941.<br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Steven Christian and catalogued by Barry Hunter.<br /><br />Additional information on <span>Arnold Louis</span> <span>Christian</span> is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/204958/">IBCC Losses Database.</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
'D' Flight RAF Grantham
Description
An account of the resource
Three photographs of Armstrong Whitworth Atlases.
#1 a port side view
#2 two airmen shaking hands at the front of an Atlas
#3 a port side view of an Atlas with a Hucks Starter vehicle at the front.
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Grantham
England--Lincolnshire
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Three b/w photographs on an album page
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SChristianAL29160v10121-0005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
aircrew
RAF Grantham
service vehicle
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2645/44860/PBlamiresRG22020042.1.jpg
e4c5a4fbb7fb1e6ccdfd492dfc3c0063
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Blamires, Robert Geoffrey. Album
Description
An account of the resource
25 items. Album containing photographs of his service including training in South Africa, time in Italy, and operations with 103 Squadron.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2022-05-11
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Blamires, RG
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
'Old Mike Squared' and Cape Town
Description
An account of the resource
The photograph shows Group Captain Sheen painting the DSO after the aircraft completed 125 operations. Captioned 'Old Mike Squared - believed to have done more ops than any other aircraft in Bomber Command with 139 operational flights to its credit. It has already been awarded the DFC and Bar by the squadron and Group Captain S. Keen is here seen painting the DSO on its fuselage after completing its 125th. trip. Note the open bomb doors, the "cookie" - 4,000 lb bomb on the left -& Pickwick - 103 Squadron bulldog mascot - standing on two more 1,000 lb bombs of the waiting bombload.'
RH page has six tourist photographs, page captioned 'Cape Town March 43'.
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-03
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
South Africa
South Africa--Cape Town
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Civilian
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Seven b/w photographs
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PBlamiresRG22020042
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-03
103 Squadron
aircrew
animal
Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Service Order
Lancaster
RAF Elsham Wolds
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2052/42861/PSouterKP2114.2.jpg
de7183bba77b3740a51cf412207617fa
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Souter, Kenneth Place
K P Souter
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2021-07-10
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Souter, KP
Description
An account of the resource
30 items. An oral history interview with Kenneth Souter (b. 1919, 129001 Royal Air Force), his log books and photographs. He flew operations as a fighter pilot with 73 Squadron in North Africa and as a test pilot. After the war he flew Lancasters during the filming of The Dam Busters film in 1954.
The collection was catalogued by Barry Hunter.
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Title
A name given to the resource
'Squadron' Photograph
Description
An account of the resource
A group of airmen and civilians arranged in front and on the wing of a Lancaster. This is in the style of a squadron photograph and was taken during the filming of The Dam Busters film.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PSouterKP2114
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1954
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1954
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
aircrew
entertainment
ground personnel
Lancaster
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1236/18658/OThompsonKG12308603-150907-010124.1.jpg
1fd749c278c1605691cdead1e907f12f
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Thompson, Keith G
K G Thompson
Description
An account of the resource
95 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Keith Thompson DFC (1238603 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents, photographs and training material as well as his navigation logs. He flew operations as a navigator with 101 and 199 Squadrons.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Mark S Thompson and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-09-07
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Thompson, KG
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
Permission granted for commercial projects
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
101 squadron Lancaster dropping incendiaries
Description
An account of the resource
Newspaper cutting of Lancaster captioned 'Through the clouds the fire bombs fall........ Showers of incendiaries released from the bomb bay of a Lancaster hurtle down through the cloud to the city of Duisburg below. A picture released last night of the R.A.F's greatest saturation raid.' Annotated '101 Squadron aircraft'.
Format
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Newspaper cutting
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
OThompsonKG12308603-150907-010124
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Germany--Duisburg
Germany
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
101 Squadron
incendiary device
Lancaster
RAF Ludford Magna
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2557/44709/MBlamiresRG139996-220512-08.2.jpg
2ce9322bb8a6ff87c66f0ef9242d958b
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Blamires, Robert Geoffrey
R G Blamires
Description
An account of the resource
99 items. The collection concerns Robert Geoffrey Blamires (b. 1921, 139996 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, diary, correspondence, documents, charts and an <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2645">Album</a>. He flew operations as a navigator with 103 Squadron. <br /><br />The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Judith Coad and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2022-05-11
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Blamires, RG
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
103 Squadron Battle Order for 18 September 1944
Description
An account of the resource
Serial no 90, lists aircraft letter and crews named individually for operations that day.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1944-09-18
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One typewritten sheet
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MBlamiresRG139996-220512-08
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1944-09-18
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending text-based transcription
103 Squadron
aircrew
bombing
Lancaster Mk 3
RAF Elsham Wolds
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1954/44205/PBroderickKJ21010003.2.jpg
b3b6b2d3c8e00714cc1ce4563e51bcfc
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1954/44205/PBroderickKJ21010004.2.jpg
f87395587c403a81c28a8659e36f82c1
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Broderick, Kenneth James
K J Broderick
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-09-28
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Broderick, KJ
Description
An account of the resource
20 items. The collection concerns Pilot Officer Kenneth James Broderick (115109 Royal Air Force) and contains documents, correspondence and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 106 Squadron and was killed 8/9 July 1942. <br /><br />The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Judith Conway and catalogued by Benjamin Turner. <br /><br />Additional information on Kenneth James Broderick is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/102722/">IBCC Losses Database.</a>
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
106 Squadron
Description
An account of the resource
106 Squadron after returning from the 'Thousand Bomber Raid' in May 30/31 1942, at RAF Coningsby. Wing Commander Guy Gibson can be seen on the front row, and Kenneth James Broderick can be seen standing behind with a pipe. Avro Manchester's can be seen in the background.
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-05-30
1942-05-31
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PBroderickKJ21010003, PBroderickKJ21010004
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending review
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-05-31
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
aircrew
bombing
bombing of Cologne (30/31 May 1942)
Gibson, Guy Penrose (1918-1944)
Manchester
observer
pilot
RAF Coningsby
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1908/36272/MPerryWRP1317696-170719-02.2.pdf
806863a334fab1ae33212066c519e900
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Perry, Pete
W R P Perry
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Perry, WRP
Description
An account of the resource
Sixty-nine items and an album sub collection with twenty-four pages of photographs.
The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant WR Pete Perry DFC (1923 - 2006, 1317696, 146323 Royal Air Force) and contains his log books, photographs, correspondence, memoirs and documents. He flew operations as a pilot with 106 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Helen Verity and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[post mark]
[inserted] The saga of “106 Sqdn – Happy days - & others.”
[obscured words]
move tomorrow to RAF Metheringham ( [missing words]
of Lincolnshire.
We had joined the Squadro[missing letter]
[inserted][circled] 22 [/circled][/inserted]
[inserted] 11th 2005 [/inserted]
[inserted][underlined] 106 METHERINGHAM [/underlined][/inserted]
[inserted] 3A. [/inserted]
[page break]
[inserted] Mar 11th 2005 [inserted]
[crest]
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
With the Compliments of the Under Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans
This Veteran’s Badge is presented to you in recognition of your service during the Second World War.
You may wish to wear it on suitable occasions when dressed in civilian attire.
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, WHITEHALL SW1A 2HB
[page break]
[inserted][underlined] Written Year 2000 [/underlined] By Pete Perry DFC [/inserted]
[underlined] 106 Squadron -- Happy days - & others! [/underlined]
[underlined] Dateline – 9th November 1943, RAF Syerston, Notts [/underlined].
Stand down today so final preparations are made for our move tomorrow to RAF Metheringham (RAF where?) in the wilds of Lincolnshire.
We had joined the Squadron in June. My crew Les Blood, F/E, John Boaden, Nav, Dick Toogood, B/A, Doug Cunnison, Wop/AG, Eddie ‘Taff’ Davies, Mid Upper Gunner & Dennis ‘Shorty’ Groombridge, R/G.
‘Twas not long before we had our ‘own’ aircraft. Firstly ZN-T ‘Admiral’ Dumbo (the flying elephant & it was!) then a brand new ZN-Z ‘Admiral Shyte-Awk’. Why the ‘Admiral’ prefix? At that time 106 was still the 5 Group designated ship attack Squadron & we had two Fleet Air Arm Observer Lieutenants attached to us. Every time we bombed a Port they came along to identify what German Naval ships were there. (Bloody RAF don’t know their bows from their sterns.)
By now (November) we were two-thirds through our first tour. We’d visited a variety of targets – the Ruhr (hotly defended); three trips to Italy (where the weather en route was more hazardous than the defences!) & a variety of selected targets throughout Germany.
We were attacked by a Ju 88 over Nuremburg which ‘Shorty’ shot down & by a Me210 over Kassel which was damaged by ‘Shorty’ & ‘Taff’.
We’d had our moments, of course, but our Lancaster flew as well on three as on four engines (bit slower though) & on one occasion coped well on two (bit lower as well as slower still!).
But now it was “so long” peace-time Station Syerston. Adieu Nottingham – ‘Airborne Nag’, ‘Barley Mow’ & all. No more the enterprising restaurant where first class steak or enormous Dover Sole was regularly available – when the authorities weren’t closing it down which was quite often!
Leaving there one night with Les Blood & heading for the bus station I realised that he was no longer beside me. (Full
[page break]
(2)
black-out still in force & his night vision not of the best). I said “Bloody where are you?” Whereupon a No. 8 torch shone on me & an old ladies voice said “Young man, I can see by your uniform that you are doing a good job but do you have to use such language?” I tried to explain but we had a bus to catch!
Farewell escarpment to the River Trent that saved ‘Ginger’ Crowe’s life when he lost his port outer engine on take-off. He disappeared over the edge, gathered speed & by first class flying & airmanship he brought his fully laden Lancaster around to make a perfect three engined landing.
Said escarpment did its life saving act for a F/O Scott, 61 Sqdn who, returning from ops, stalled on the approach, slid down the slope & finished up on the Trent, nose gently embedded in the far bank! The crew climbed out, barely got their feet wet & were entertained by the farmer & his wife whilst waiting for the ‘gharry’ from Syerston to collect them!
But enough memories. It’s party time tonight in the Mess ‘cos we’re only flying to Metheringham tomorrow afternoon.
[underlined] Dateline November 10th, RAF Syerston. 1030hrs. [/underlined]
My slumber is disturbed by my batman who insists on telling me that I’m required in the briefing room as I’m on ops. I invite him to go away as there aren’t any ops today – we’re going to Metheringham. He is very persistant [sic] & finally convinces me that there may be some truth in his message.
He was right. Higher authority required us to attack the Mont Cenis tunnel at Modane & render it useless for supplies to the German troops in N Italy.
Sooooo – instead of a gentle hop to our new home it’s a full load, full moon, gin clear. We cross France at 7000ft, find the valley, ignore the puny flak (which rapidly ceased under the weight of bombs) & make our way home. Piece of cake.
[page break]
(3)
[underlined] Dateline November 11th RAF Syerston. Early pm. [/underlined]
We really [underlined] are [/underlined] moving. My faithful ZN-Z fully laden – this time with bodies (air & ground crew plus a couple of hitch-hikers), suitcases, kitbags, bicycles & various impedimentia stashed in the fuselage. Chocks away - & so are we.
Two friends of mine, Johnny Forsyth & Colin Storer were to formate on me & we proposed to announce our arrival with a gentle ‘beat-up’. Metheringham R/T callsign was ‘Coffee-stall’ so we intended also to broadcast a rendering (literally!) of the ‘Java Jive’. The new Station Commander was not amused - & said so!
Directions were given by Flying Control to reach our dispersal & we warily made our way around the perimiter [sic] track taking great care not to go off the edge. Liquid mud awaited anyone who put a wheel off the tarmac!
Then to our billets – Nissen huts, coke stoves, no hot water – but plenty of mud.
Unpack, clean up then to the Mess for dinner – a quarter of a mile away. It was raining when we walked up & still raining when we returned. [underlined] And [/underlined] the coke stove had gone out!
Ce la guerre.
Next day the Squadron & Station started ‘working up’. We did an hours local flying, checking new landmarks, noting our proximity to Coningsby, Woodhall Spa, Bardney & Waddington.
Whilst 106 Sqdn had moved as a whole the Administrative Staff were from other Stations & it would take a little while for the varying disciplines to ‘gel’ & become a cohesive unit.
Our new Station Commander decided to inspect the airfield, the ground crew Flight Offices & the aircraft. Remember that the aircraft ‘names’ were prefixed “Admiral” & all Senior Officers had
[page break]
(4)
‘scrambled egg’ on the peaks of their caps. My ‘Admiral Shyte-Awk’ was no exception. The ‘Groupie’ as a Senior Officer took umbrage at the crest & ordered my ground to remove it. As soon as he had moved on my Sgt i/c rang me for help. I reminded him that he should obey his last order - & then ordered him to leave it on. (A P/O countermanded a GC!!). I hastened to my Squadron CO & what he later said to the Station Commander I don’t know – but my crest stayed intact.
Flying continued: ammunition, bombs & fuel stocked up & then we were ready to go on November 18th. I was told that I was not flying that night but a brand new Lancaster was at Waddington awaiting collection. I could ‘take a day off’ & collect same. Taking Les & Doug we duly arrived at ‘Waddo’ & it then being lunchtime arranged to pick the aircraft up in the afternoon.
I had barely started my meal when I was called to the phone & my Flight Commander informed me that the aircraft was now required for ops that night & that I was to fly it. I protested that if I was on ops I wanted my own ‘Z’. To no avail. I could do the NFT (night flying test) on the way back & be quick about it!
The new aircraft proved a success – we bombed Berlin from 25000ft (the higher the fewer) & came back at 27500ft.
‘Miff’ (P/O Mifflin – his F/E Norman Jackson later won the VC) who had taken ‘Z’ that night had the pilot’s side window blown out. He said that it was a bit chilly!
A ‘flu epidemic hit the Station & the Squadron was forced to operate with ‘scratch’ crews. Whenever possible crew replacements were made with members of comparable experience. Whilst I was laid low, F/O Jack Hoboken, a Dutch pilot, needed two gunners so in his rear turret was the Squadron Gunnery Leader & ‘Taff’ Davies in the mid-upper. Unfortunately they were shot down near Munich & all killed. In view of the experience of the two gunners I am
[page break]
(5)
convinced that it was flak that got them & not fighters.
Squadron efficiency quickly returned to normal – first class. The weather didn’t! The airfield was still being completed. Going in to the briefing room one rare sunny afternoon the window was open. We were amazes (& shaken) when three Irish workmen looked through the window & commented on “them pretty red ribbons on that map”.!! They led straight to Berlin! We were not sorry when Command ‘scrubbed’ the op later in the day.
Conditions improved. We got hot water so could shave & shower in comfort. We learned how to manage the coke stove.
Forays were made to Martin & Metheringham where the good folk were coming to terms with the influx of bodies & the ‘roar of mighty Merlins’.
The next two months passed quickly & we finished our tour.
Next item on the agenda – a tour as an instructor. Where?
Some of my crew went to OTU’s (Operational Training Units) at Bruntingthorpe & Silverstone. Les & I were posted to – Syerston, by now the home of 5LFS (5 Group Lancaster Finishing School). Needless to say we were delighted to continue to fly Lancasters & to return to Syerston & ‘ops on Notts’!
We weren’t finished with 106 & Metheringham though. A year later I put together my second tour crew. Les Blood, Doug Cunnison & ‘Shorty’ Groombridge said that they’d come back along with ‘Dixie’ Dean (Nav), Pete Lynch (B/A) & ‘Sandy’ Sanford (MU). All second tour & all commissioned. What a team!
We returned to Metheringham at the end of March ’45 & what a transformation. No mud, a lot of activities & we would not be needing the coke stove much longer!
We only managed three ops on our second tour (including our one & only daylight) when VE was upon us.
[page break]
([underlined] 6 [/underlined])
I applied for a posting to Transport Command to fly Avro Yorks – to be refused on the grounds that my crew were earmarked for ‘Tiger Force’ the code name for the twelve Squadrons who would go to the Far East & bomb Japan!
Training started for the new venture – formation flying, new navigation aids, Radio Range flying, fighter affiliation exercises. Then on leave in early August when the news of the ‘A’ bomb came through & by the time we got back to base ‘Tiger Force’ had been cancelled – to everyones relief.
My CO said that he had resubmitted my application for Transport Command & in early October it came through.
Meantime we did some trips to Italy bringing troops home on the ‘Python’ scheme. ‘Cooks Tours’ were arranged in order to let all personnel see the damage caused by the bombing. We flew at 3000ft around the Ruhr – Cologne, Essen, Bochum, Wuppertal, Gelsenkirchen, Dusseldorf etc & the devastation was appalling.
Time then to say “Farewell” to 106, RAF Metheringham & Martin, this time tinged with sadness & a host of memories of which, as time goes by, the good & happy ones push the less pleasant to the dim confines at the back of the mind.
Thank you 106, it’s been a pleasure to serve with you.
And so to Yorks. But that’s another story.
W R P Perry, DFC.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
106 Squadron - happy days and others
Pete Perry's memoir
Description
An account of the resource
Writes of his time on 106 Squadron at RAF Syerston. Mentions operation to the Ruhr and Italy and that they were two thirds of their way through tour. Writes of his last operation at Syerston and squadron's move to RAF Metheringham. Describes his new station and activities. Mentions finishing first tour and after tour as instructor going back to 106 for a final three operations before training for Tiger Force and then transferring to transport command.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
W R P Perry
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-11-09
1943-11-10
1943-11-11
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Nottinghamshire
England--Lincolnshire
France
France--Modane
Germany
Italy
Germany--Nuremberg
Germany--Berlin
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Royal Air Force. Transport Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Memoir
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Eight page printed document
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MPerryWRP1317696-170719-02
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Steve Baldwin
106 Squadron
5 Group
aircrew
Cook’s tour
Lancaster
Lancaster Finishing School
pilot
RAF Metheringham
RAF Syerston
RAF Waddington
Tiger force
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/187/2535/SMarshallS1594781v10075.1.jpg
3d912b7eb4ab340783caf2b485ffbf0f
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Marshall, Syd. Album
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Marshall, S
Description
An account of the resource
77 items. The album contains wartime and post-war photographs, newspaper cuttings, and memorabilia assembled by Warrant Officer Sidney Charles Marshall (1924 - 2017, 1594781 Royal Air Force). Syd Marshall was a flight engineer with 103 Squadron and flew operations from RAF Elsham Wolds.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Syd Marshall and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-08
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
10th Anniversary Reunion
Description
An account of the resource
RAF Elsham Wolds Association 10th anniversary reunion. A programme of events, captioned 'Mrs M. Marshall'.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
RAF Elsham Wolds Association
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1989-08-26
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One printed sheet on an album page
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SMarshallS1594781v10075.1
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1989-08-26
RAF Elsham Wolds
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/147/1482/PColeC1607.2.jpg
10040c79ac61e4b349c8ff2e204b328e
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/147/1482/PColeC1608.2.jpg
e6a13ff94513e1387526ef367d497229
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cole, Colin
C Cole
Colin Cole
Description
An account of the resource
31 items. The collection relates to Warrant Officer Colin Cole (1924 – 2015 RAF Volunteer Reserve 1605385) who served with 617 Squadron. The collection contains two oral history interviews his, logbook, service documents, medals, memorabilia from the Tirpitz and six photographs.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Six items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties or to comply with intellectual property regulations. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-01-27
2015-07-27
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Cole, C
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
12 airmen
Description
An account of the resource
Group of 12 airmen and one civilian, arranged in two rows, three kneeling at the front, eight standing behind. On the wall are squadron crests. Captioned on the reverse 'Binbrook 46 4/14 Colin Cole'.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1946
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PColeC1607
PColeC1608
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1946
aircrew
navigator
pilot
RAF Binbrook
wireless operator
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1783/33017/PMeenMI2005.2.jpg
86fd5163f9a7c47a99fe4549fd0c6721
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Meen, Muriel Irene
M I Meen
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-10-20
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Meen, MI
Description
An account of the resource
Nine items. The collection concerns Muriel Irene Meen (b. 1919, I010772 Royal Air Force) and contains documents and photographs.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Caroline Ann Holt and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
12 Airmen
Description
An account of the resource
Aircrew in uniform and flying kit standing in front of Lancaster LM296.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PMeenMI2005
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
50 Squadron
aircrew
Lancaster
RAF Skellingthorpe
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/178/5620/PBriggsR1608.2.jpg
821cebbeb3942633fd079ea2589238a3
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/178/5620/PBriggsR1609.2.jpg
5ac44434f2e8536b0b3c1544d651e769
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Briggs, Roy
R Briggs
Description
An account of the resource
24 items. One oral history interview with Roy Briggs (1893726 Royal Air Force), his logbook, service material, training material, official documents and 12 photographs. Roy Briggs trained as a wireless operator and flew four operations with 576 Squadron from RAF Fiskerton. He also took took part in Operation Manna and Operation Exodus as well as Cook’s tours over Germany.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Roy Briggs and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-01-28
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Briggs, R
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
12 airmen waving off a Lancaster
Description
An account of the resource
A group of 12 airmen waving off Lancaster U. They have their backs to the camera. On the reverse 'F/O Roberts F/S Pidding F/S Smale F/S Briggs F/S Rosario. Sgt Bewon Sgt Davies being waved off by members of 576 Sqdn when taking off on 1000 bomber raid on Heligoland on the 18th April 1945 Bomb load was one 4000 lb and 12 1000 lb'.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945-04-18
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PBriggsR1608, PBriggsR1609
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Germany--Helgoland
Germany
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1945-04-18
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
576 Squadron
bombing
bombing of Helgoland (18 April 1945)
Lancaster
RAF Fiskerton
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1881/36290/SChristianAL29160v10036-0006.1.jpg
4f2752a34dbe2d569a8e238495cc8d00
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Christian, Arnold Louis
A L Christian
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-06-26
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Christian, AL
Description
An account of the resource
93 items. The collection concerns Wing Commander <span>Arnold Louis</span> <span>Christian </span>(1906 - 1941, 29160 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents and photographs. He flew operation as a pilot with 105 Squadron and was killed 8 May 1941.<br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Steven Christian and catalogued by Barry Hunter.<br /><br />Additional information on <span>Arnold Louis</span> <span>Christian</span> is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/204958/">IBCC Losses Database.</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
13 Airmen and a Hawker Tomtit
Description
An account of the resource
13 airmen arranged in two rows in front of a Tomtit biplane.
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Grantham
England--Lincolnshire
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SChristianAL29160v10036-0006
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
aircrew
pilot
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2175/38167/SWilliamsonF1311249v10002.2.pdf
75962071818f2d492dc16d4b43cffdb5
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Williamson, Frank-249
Description
An account of the resource
24 items. The collection concerns Frank Williamson (b. 1912, 1311249 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents and newspaper clippings. He flew operations as an air gunner with 106 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Lyn Williamson and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Williamson, F
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019-01-30
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
1311249 Flt Sgt Williamson, Air Gunner Lancaster
Description
An account of the resource
A biography written by his son.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
J Williamson
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Manchester
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
England--Southwold
England--Frome
England--Northampton
England--Goole
England--Newark (Nottinghamshire)
Germany--Bochum
Germany--Cologne
Germany--Hamburg
Germany--Essen
Germany--Remscheid
Germany--Peenemünde
Germany--Leverkusen
Germany--Nuremberg
England--Bridlington
Germany--Hannover
Germany--Mannheim
Poland--Gdańsk
Germany--Munich
Germany--Kassel
Wales--Cardiff
England--Warwickshire
England--Southam (Warwickshire)
Germany--Berlin
England--Skegness
England--Lincolnshire
England--Northamptonshire
England--Suffolk
England--Yorkshire
England--Lancashire
England--Nottinghamshire
Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)
Germany
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Personal research
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
11 printed sheets
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SWilliamsonF1311249v10002
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
106 Squadron
5 Group
aerial photograph
air gunner
aircrew
B-17
bombing
bombing of Hamburg (24-31 July 1943)
bombing of Kassel (22/23 October 1943)
Bombing of Peenemünde (17/18 August 1943)
Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Medal
Gee
H2S
Halifax
Ju 88
Lancaster
Lancaster Mk 3
Master Bomber
Me 110
mine laying
Mosquito
Oboe
Operational Training Unit
Pathfinders
pilot
RAF Cottesmore
RAF Croft
RAF Fulbeck
RAF Kirkham
RAF Metheringham
RAF Morpeth
RAF Saltby
RAF Swinderby
RAF Syerston
RAF Wigsley
Stirling
target indicator
target photograph
training
V-1
V-2
V-weapon
Wellington
Window
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/871/10197/MHobbsFJ1262633-160404-15.1.jpg
af50a9ac08a4bb00d4ce05c09904ed80
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Hobbs, Frank
Frank James Hobbs
F J Hobbs
Description
An account of the resource
69 items. The collection concerns 1262633 Flight Sergeant Frank James Hobbs a wireless operator with 630 Squadron, RAF East Kirkby, who was killed while on operations in a Lancaster on 16 March 1944. The collection contains his log book, official and family correspondence, official and personal documents, photographs of aircrew, family and his grave and some items of memorabilia. It also includes correspondence from a French gentleman who was witness to his aircraft crash and who returns recovered personal items belonging to Frank Hobbs. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Barbara Storer and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br />Additional information on Frank Hobbs is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/110858/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-06-04
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Hobbs, FJ
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
1320438 J Coppin's address
Description
An account of the resource
Address for J Coppin at RAF Cranwell
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One page handwritten document
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MHobbsFJ1262633-160404-15
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
RAF Cranwell
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1299/27259/PNichollJ1801.1.jpg
7cc01ea8cef05da8e5ce9afa2054f1f2
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Nicholl, Jack
John Nicholl
J Nicholl
Description
An account of the resource
One photograph. The collection concerns John Nicholl (b. 1916, 973877 Royal Air Force). He served as a pilot with 144 Squadron.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by David Nicholl and catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018-05-17
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Nicholl, J
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
144 Squadron at RAF Hemswell
Description
An account of the resource
51 aircrew in three rows in front of a Hampden and a hangar with a large dog in the centre of the front row. John Nicholl is fifth from the right in the front row.
Additional information about this item has been kindly provided by the donor.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1940
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PNichollJ1801
144 Squadron
aircrew
animal
Hampden
hangar
observer
pilot
RAF Hemswell
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1524/30372/PBaxterPD16020039.1.jpg
2ab0289c384422dddb600b3bfd863446
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1524/30372/PBaxterPD16020040.1.jpg
d9325860d18230c5405adc411019674e
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Baxter, Peter Dennis
P D Baxter
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-07-12
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Baxter, PD
Description
An account of the resource
63 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Peter Baxter (b. 1922, 52604 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, photographs and documents. He was trained as an airframe apprentice at RAF Halton and served as ground crew before volunteering to become air crew. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 12 and 153 Squadrons.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Michael Baxter and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
153 Squadron
Description
An account of the resource
From information provided by the donor. Two photographs, first is of A Flight, second is of B Flight in March 1945 at R.A.F. Scampton. Peter is back row no 5 on B Flight photograph.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945-03
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two b/w photographs
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PBaxterPD16020039, PBaxterPD16020040
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1945-03
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
153 Squadron
aircrew
Lancaster
RAF Scampton
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1524/30247/MBaxterPD52604-160712-26.1.jpg
891e9da60c4abf375bed3960e12a6952
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Baxter, Peter Dennis
P D Baxter
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-07-12
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Baxter, PD
Description
An account of the resource
63 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Peter Baxter (b. 1922, 52604 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, photographs and documents. He was trained as an airframe apprentice at RAF Halton and served as ground crew before volunteering to become air crew. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 12 and 153 Squadrons.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Michael Baxter and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[underlined]153 Squadron CREW LIST 1st June 1945[/underlined]
O.C. Squadron W/Cdr G.F. Rodney Pilot.
Squadron F/Eng Leader F/Lt P.D. Baxter F/Engineer.
Squadron Bomb Leader F/Lt R.F. Thompson Air Bomber.
Squadron Nav. Officer F/Lt J.A. Turner Navigator.
Squadron Sigs Leader F/Lt R.W. Stewart W/Operator.
Squadron Gunn Leader F/Lt J.T. Weaver Air Gunner.
[underlined]’A’ FLIGHT[/underlined]
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] S/L Flynn
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] F/S Lygo – Sgt Richins
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] Sgt Mayhew – Sgt Blackwood
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] F/L Pettitt – Sgt Miles
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/L Langford
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] Sgt Thomson – F/O Rea-Taylor
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/O McDonald – F/S Jones T.
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] Sgt Hallam – Sgt Hawkins
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/O Sharp
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] Sgt Broughton – F/O Andrews
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/L Morrison – F/S Calderbank
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] Sgt Evans – Sgt Peacock
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/O Penman
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] Sgt Nicoll – F/O Downes
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/O Colman – F/S Brown
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] F/O Richardson – Sgt Pepper
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/L Kilnor
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] F/S Spinks – Sgt Bridger
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] Sgt Corcoran – Sgt Barker
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] Sgt Mepstead – Sgt Pinkham
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/L Speed
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] P/O Whittingstall – F/O Meadows
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/O Bates (N.Z.) – P/O Hill
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] Sgt Fowler – Sgt Mitchell
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/O Parker
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] P/O Taylor – F/O Howling
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/O Coxon – F/O Edwards
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] F/S Craig – F/S Lewington
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/S Birch
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] F/S Sutherland – F/O Taylor
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/O Batt – Sgt Smith
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] Sgt McKachnie – Sgt Simpson
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/O Heaton
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] F/S Evans – Sgt Kirkman
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] Sgt Farren – Sgt Owen
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] Sgt Crossott – Sgt Gist
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/O Douglas
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] F/S Short – Sgt Watson
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/S Ward – Sgt McDougall
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] Sgt Randall – Sgt Simmonds
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/O Conley
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] Sgt Ledsham – F/O Taylor
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/L Alexander – F/S Hauxwell
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] Sgt Beswick – Sgt [indecipherable]
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/S Oldcorn
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] F/S Dickinson – Sgt Vaughan
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/S Melville – Sgt Davies
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] Sgt Brady – Sgt Cowley
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined]P/O McClellan
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] Sgt Cracknell – Sgt Heathcote
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/O Johnson – F/S Emmott
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] Sgt Moragran – Sgt Luke
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/O Brown
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] F/S Martin – F/O Hasdell
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/S Hollyer – Sgt Worston
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] Sgt Cooper – Sgt Francis
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/O Adams
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] F/S Brown – F/L Lake
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/O Sawyer – Sgt Winters
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] W/O Watt – F/S Braycott
[underlined]Pilot/Captain[/underlined] F/O Fawcett
[underlined]F/Engineer – Air Bomber[/underlined] F/S Pearce – F/O Pasley
[underlined]Navigator – W/Operator[/underlined] F/O Lindsay – F/O Edwards
[underlined]M/U/Gunner – Rear Gunner[/underlined] W/O Espley – W/O Shaughnessy
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
153 Squadron crew list
Description
An account of the resource
153 Squadron A flight crew list as of 1st June 1945.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945-06-01
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Typewritten list
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MBaxterPD52604-160712-26
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1945-06-01
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
David Bloomfield
153 Squadron
air gunner
aircrew
bomb aimer
flight engineer
Lancaster
navigator
pilot
RAF Scampton
wireless operator
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/17/37100/PBellOH21010027.1.jpg
29072a3c59e40734cc90b12ccbd2542f
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Bell, Oliver
O Bell
Description
An account of the resource
47 items. The collection concerns Flying Officer Oliver Herbert Bell (1915 - 1997) and consists of photographs and documents. He served as ground personnel at RAF Cranwell and was then posted to Aden and the Middle East with 12(B) and 8(B) Squadrons before the war. He later served at establishments in Canada and at RAF Blyton and married <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/208">Joyce Bell</a>.<br /><br />The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by G Sadler and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Achive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-10-02
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Bell, O
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
16 Airmen
Description
An account of the resource
A group of 16 airmen arranged in three rows in front of an aircraft. Oliver Bell is in the middle with a sign with 'Blyton 1945' and a fist with electrical sparks. There is indecipherable writing under this.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PBellOH21010027
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1945
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
ground crew
ground personnel
RAF Blyton
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1764/30648/SJenkinsonPR1826262v10008-0001.1.jpg
a763df9f453151afdb1f3d772038357e
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1764/30648/SJenkinsonPR1826262v10008-0002.1.jpg
c9d4410b7ae66d57cf70cb3851104a2e
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Jenkinson, Peter and Leslie. Peter Jenkinson
Description
An account of the resource
Fifty-three items concerning Peter Jenkinson who served as a flight engineer on 166 and 153 Squadron Lancaster and was killed with his crew on 28 January 1945. Collection contains official and family correspondence, photographs, biographies, newspaper articles, official documents, roll of honour and records of operations.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-08-24
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Jenkinson, LP-PR
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[underlined] COMMAND STRUCTURE [/underlined]
11. The following were selected to organise the new squadron:-
Officer Commanding Wing Commander F.S. POWLEY D.F.C. A.F.C.
‘A’ Flight Commander Sqdn/Ldr. T.W. Rippingdale D.S.O.
‘B’ Flight Commander Sqdn/Ldr. J.W. Gee D.F.C.
Engineer Leader Fl/Lt. P.O. Baxter
Bombing Leader Fl/Lt. R.F. Thompson
Navigation Leader Fl/Lt. E.O. Wheelwright D.F.C.
Signals Leader Fl/Lt. R.W. Stewart D.F.C. (RNZAF)
Gunnery Leader Fl/Lt. J.T.G. Weaver D.F.C.
Adjutant F/Off. R.P. Hargrave
This was a very experienced and multi-national team. Francis POwley was a Canadian who had enlisted in the R.A.F. Peter Baxter and Tommy Thompson were old buddies. In conversations, it emerged that Ron Stewart came from Wanganui on New Zealand’s North Island - a remarkable coincidence seeing that this was the codeword used by the Pathfinders for their flare-marking techniques.
12. The 27 “Founder Member” crews comprised 49 officers and 140 senior non-commissioned officers; they hailed from different forces i.e.:-
Regular R.A.F. (one British; one Canadian; one South African) - 3
R.A.F.V.R. - 121
R.C.A.F. - 47
R.A.A.F. - 14
R.N.Z.A.F. - 4
Most crews were commanded by a commissioned pilot, the only honorable [sic] exception being W/Off Noel Crane (who later was commissioned F/Officer).
[underlined] OPERATIONAL RECORD [/underlined] - [underlined] KIRMINGTON [/underlined]
13. The squadron entered operational flying in a spectacular, and probably unique, manner. On the very morning of its birth it despatched 11 crews on an attack against a supply base at Emmerich. This must have presented a severe organisational task for the infant Squadron’s management and ground crews, but seems to have been successfully achieved. The raid was protected by an escort of Spitfires;
[page break]
the weather proved clear and a well concentrated attack encountered only moderate flak. Nonetheless, F/O Searle piloting Lancaster JB297(P4B) - one of the 6 aircraft ‘borrowed’ from 166 Squadron - suffered minor damage, although the crew emerged unscathed.
14. The squadron was then stood down for three days. Already plans were being drawn up for a move to Scampton but these were interrupted by operational needs. On October 11th, the Squadron was ordered to despatch 7 aircraft to attack Fort Frederich Henrik - an important enemy stronghold in the Scheldte Estuary - but due to short notice, only 5 could be bombed up in time. Conditions over the target caused the Master Bomber to order abandonment by the first wave, but in the second wave, 2 aircraft succeeded in dropping their bombs. The following morning, 3 more aircraft were despatched against the same target, and in excellent conditions for visual bombing, were able to record a concentrated attack. Before the day was over, 8 more aircraft were made ready for another raid, but this was cancelled before briefing.
15. On 12th October, Sqn/Ldr Gee joined the squadron. At the time it was being planned he had accepted an offer to become ‘B’ flight commander, but first needed a crew. On reporting to a Heavy Conversion Unit at Blyton, he found a “headless” crew (i.e. one that had lost its pilot through sickness) who had already completed 8 operations. By a happy coincidence, they had flown these with 166 Squadron, so they became the 28th crew to be supplied by No. 166.
16. In the meantime, detailed plans had been published (Movement Order 1/44) to transfer to Scampton on 14th October - but once more the war intervened. On 13th October, when the movement order required aircrew to have their kitbags packed and put in the gymnasium together with their private bicycles (all properly labelled and secured), the squadron was required to prepare 13 aircraft for a raid against Duisburg - which was only postponed following briefing. The postponement was only temporary and 13 aircraft took off at 0630 hrs. to rendezvous with the fighter escort which protected them to and from the target area. Visibility was restricted, so area bombing was adopted. Some moderate flak was reported and it was rather upsetting when 2 aircraft failed to return; the veteran JB297(P4B) (see also para 13 above) which had entered operational service in September 1943 with No. 405 Squadron, flown by P/O Draper and his all R.A.F.V.R. crew; and NG190(P4T) flown by F/O Brouilette and his four fellow Canadian and two R.A.F.V.R. crew members. Postwar research showed that there were no survivors. The Squadron had been in existence for only eight days!
17. On 15th October 1944, 153 Squadron moved to Scampton.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
166 Squadron history
Description
An account of the resource
Covers command structure on formation and names commanders. Mentions original multinational crews. Covers some details of operational record at RAF Kirmington. Concludes with move to RAF Scampton and formation of 153 Squadron.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two page printed document
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SJenkinsonPR1826262v10008
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Germany
Germany--Emmerich
Netherlands
Netherlands--Vlissingen
Germany--Duisburg
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-09
1944-10-15
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Steve Christian
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
153 Squadron
166 Squadron
Lancaster
RAF Kirmington
RAF Scampton
Spitfire